NPD Manager

NPD Manager - Desserts

North West
Permanent

Are you a passionate and creative food developer with experience leading successful NPD projects from initial brief through to concept approval?

We are recruiting an NPD Manager to join a well-established food manufacturer within its desserts category. This is a hands-on concept development role, offering the opportunity to lead exciting customer projects while nurturing and developing a small, close-knit team.

You will take ownership of the concept development process, transforming customer briefs and emerging food trends into commercially viable products. The business has a dedicated process development team, so your focus will remain firmly on creativity, concept development, managing your team and delivering an outstanding customer experience.

The role:

• Leading customer NPD projects from initial brief through to concept handover

• Managing critical paths and ensuring projects remain on track

• Developing creative, commercially viable dessert concepts

• Presenting to retail customers.

• Working closely with customers to understand their requirements and build trusted relationships

• Collaborating with process, technical, commercial and operational teams

• Supporting the smooth handover of approved concepts into the process development team

• Leading, coaching and nurturing one direct report

• Helping to create a positive, passionate and collaborative team environment

• Staying ahead of consumer trends, emerging flavours and market activity

About you:

• Proven experience leading NPD or product development projects within food manufacturing

• Strong experience managing NPD critical paths

• A creative, hands-on developer who remains close to the product

• Ideally experienced in bakery, desserts, chocolate, confectionery or another sweet category

• Candidates from other fast-paced food categories, including ready meals, will also be considered

• Previous line-management, coaching or mentoring experience would be advantageous

• Confident communicating with retail customers and presenting product concepts

• Passionate, energetic and people-focused, with a nurturing leadership style

• Able to balance creativity with commercial awareness and delivery

This role would suit an experienced Senior Product Developer, Lead Developer or existing NPD Manager who wants to take ownership of a category while remaining actively involved in hands-on concept development.

You will be joining a supportive business where concept and process development are managed by dedicated teams, giving you the space to focus on creativity, customers and developing brilliant products.

Please apply with your CV or contact Charlotte Liddiard-Smith at The Oval Partnership for a confidential conversation.